“Fix your course to a star and you can navigate through any storm”
Leonardo da Vinci 1452.
Jeanine and I were privileged to attend the LUME in Melbourne where there was an immersive experience featuring the works and inventions of Leonardo Da Vinci. Not only did he paint, he also invented and thought deeply about a lot of important things. Part of this exhibition was some of his more insightful and profound sayings. I intend to use some of them in this forum. One of them I found particularly helpful.
“Fix your course to a star and you can navigate through any storm”.
We all need some standard to measure ourselves against. Some places, some aspirations, and some ideals to reach for. Clarify your purpose and values and align them with your goals and strategies.
We live in a very turbulent ever-changing almost washing machine-tumbling society and world. We can so easily be tossed about and emerge battered, confused and bewildered. There are so many competing demands and philosophies out there, that it would be very easy to select a different one each day to suit our whim of the moment. This would of course see us sloshed about with no direction or hope of arriving anywhere or accomplishing anything.
A star is a good metaphor because you never actually physically reach it. You are always striving, always looking beyond yourself; always there is more to try for.
So for your reflection, you might like to ask what are the ‘stars’ that you strive for? Who taught you these principles? You likely acquired them almost by osmosis from a significant elder in your life. Maybe a parent or a teacher.
Have these ‘stars’ been helpful or have you found others along the way and what are your storms?